Syrian Supper Club

By Emily Tobin

24 November 2015

Our arts editor Emily Tobin highly recommends visiting the
Syrian Supper Club run by The Hands Up Foundation to help raise
funds for aid relief in Syria. Follow this
link to book tickets to their upcoming supper

Two years ago - almost to the day - I was invited to a Syrian
Supper Club. If I remember rightly, it was raining, I didn't have
an umbrella and I arrived very late and very sodden. But, as is
often the case, copious cocktails and mountains of food swiftly
turned the evening around and I crawled onto the night bus several
hours later feeling very full and very impressed by the four
friends behind it.

In recent months the plight faced by Syrians has
once again dominated the headlines but this is all a consequence of
an ongoing conflict that has blazed far beyond our borders for the
last four years. If you would like to help but the thought of
reading this article is too much to bear, please click here to buy a ticket to the next
fundraiser or here to buy a ticket to an upcoming
supper.

Louisa Barnett, her brother Johnnie, Rose Lukas and George
Butler run the Hands Up Foundation and since 2012 they have raised
over £180,000 in aid relief for various projects in Syria and along
its borders. Rose and Louisa once lived in Damascus in a house
draped with orange blossom and, despite the fact their kitchen
wasn't exactly burdened with modern appliances, they spent much of
their time cooking for friends. But by May 2011 the situation in
Syria had escalated and foreigners were advised to pack their bags
and leave the country - reluctantly the pair flew home.

One year on and back in London, Rose, Louisa and Johnnie, held
their first Syrian Supper. Determined not to forget those they'd
left behind, the idea was to raise money but also to remind people
of some of the very best things about Syria. Peppers were peeled,
pumpkins were chopped, falafels were rolled and £300 was made.

Meanwhile, in August 2012 George, an artist and illustrator,
walked across the Turkish border into Syria as an unofficial guest
of the rebel Free Syrian Army - he spent four days drawing the
war-ravaged town of Azaz. On his return, he brought some of his
work to a Syrian Supper and has been part of the team ever since.

Fast-forward three years and seventy-five suppers have been held
across seven countries (Egypt, Lebanon, Singapore, Turkey, USA, UK,
Hong Kong) feeding over 2,000 people, yet the situation in Syria
rages on with inconceivable force. The Hands Up Foundation was
officially registered as a charity in April 2014 and in that time
has raised money to support two prosthetic limb clinics, one in
Reyhanli on the Turkish border and one Hazzano, Idlib inside Syria.
The clinics fit around 100 prosthetics per month, with no charge.
The monies raised also support seven medical staff in Aleppo. Not
only does this provide immediate care for the injured but it also
gives qualified Syrian professionals a means of feeding their own
families and a reason to stay in the country.

On Thursday November 26th, the Hands Up Foundation will host 'An
Arm and a Leg' at the Islington Metal Works in north London. There
will be rum cocktails from the good people at The Duppy Share, food
by Juma Kitchen and Channel 4's Jon Snow will be speaking. Click here to buy a ticket.